Mechanism for spacing fastener insertions



Oct. 5, 1965 s. s. TLUMACKl 3,209,975

MECHANISM FOR SPACING FASTENER INSER'IIONS Filed June 21, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor Sfqbhen S. Tfumacki By his AZfOTney Oct. 5, 1965 s. s. TLUMACKI MECHANISM FOR SPACING FASTENER INSERTIONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 21,

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MECHANISM FOR SPACING FASTENER INSERTIONS Filed June 21, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 4

Oct. 5, 1965 s. s. TLUMACKl 3,209,975

MECHANISM FOR SPACING FASTENER INSERTIONS Filed June 21, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 lpkl36 Oct. 5, 1965 s. s. TLUMACKI 3,209,975

MECHANISM FOR SPACING FASTENER INSERTIONS Filed June 21, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 my. a I

/lfl V gas" United States Patent 3,209,975 MECHANISM FOR SPACING FASTENER INSERTHONS Stephen S. Tlnmacki, Ipswich, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass., at corporation of New Jersey Filed June 21, 1963, Ser. No. 289,660 1 Claim. (Cl. 227-2) This invention relates to means for spacing successive fasteners in a Work piece. More particularly the invention is concerned with providing, for a fastener inserting machine, mechanism by which its insertions can be adjustably spaced apart in a row. Although the invention is herein illustrated as applied to eyeleting machinery, and more specifically to the art of making mattress borders, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited in use either to eyeleting or even fastening inserting, but may be applicable more generally to machines for repetitively installing metallic components in non-conductive work pieces.

In certain industries, for example belt and mattress making, it is desirable to be able to insert fasteners in a row with a normally fixed, but variable spacing. In prior art inserting machines, whether of single or repeated cycle construction, where a selectively variable spacing was required, it has been customary to rely on an operator accurately to control rather complicated work feeding mechanism or to position the work manually before effecting each insertion. With a view to relieving an operator of such burden it is a primary object of this invention to provide, in combination with a cyclically operable inserting mechanism and means for feeding a work piece thereto, a simple, adjustable gage means for selectively controlling the spacing between successive insertions to be made in the work piece.

In accordance with this object and as shown herein, a feature of the invention resides in the combination, with a reciprocable fastener inserting tool, a work supporting table, and power means for feeding a work piece through the operating zone of the tool and over the table, of novel fastener spacing control means adjustable relative to the operating zone, the control means being electrically responsive to successive fasteners inserted by the tool in the work piece.

Preferably, as illustrated, the feeding means comprises an electric motor and cooperative feed rolls driven thereby through a clutch energizable to exert traction on the work piece and thus feed it past the tool. The spacing control means illustrated preferably includes a gage in the form of a pair of cooperative work engaging rolls adjustably mounted on the table between the feed rolls and the operating path of the tool, for contact with a fastener inserted by the tool, and circuit means connecing the rolls and the clutch for controlling operation of the feeding means and the tool, the circuit means being automatically rendered effective by such fastener contact concurrently to actuate the tool and cause the work feeding means to be inoperative, and then, in the course of the operating cycle of the tool, to render the work feeding means operative.

The foregoing and other features of the invention including other novel details in construction and arrangement of parts will now be more particularly described in connection with an illustrative embodiment, and with reference to the accompanying drawings thereof in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an eyeleting machine adapted to insert eyelets, four abreast, in a work piece such as a mattress border;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a work table shown in FIG. 1 together with feeding rolls and fastener spacing gage means;

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FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line IIIIII of FIG. 2, showing mounting of the table and work piercing tools:

FIG. 4 is a view in front elevation of the inserting tools, the Work feeding means, and the spacing gage means;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line V-V of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a view in front elevation corresponding to FIG. 4 but showing the parts with a portion broken away and in operative relation to a work piece when fastener insertion is effected;

FIG. 7 is a section taken on the line VII-VII of FIG. 5 showing a structural detail; and

FIG. 8 is a wiring diagram of the machine.

The illustrative fastener inserting machine is of the gang type adapted to set four eyelets abreast in each operating cycle, but it will be understood that in principle the machine may, for purposes of this invention, be of any type adapted to insert metallic fasteners or other conductive components, either singly or plurally, in a cycle. General construction of the machine resembles in many respects that disclosed in United States Letters Patent 1,932,420, granted October 31, 1933 upon an application of E. S. Nokes. The machine is modified in ways hereinafter explained to enable it to install tubular fasteners, eyelets or grommets E (FIG. 6) with a variable spacing in a mattress border or other non-conductive fabric or sheet material S (FIGS. 5 and 6).

The machine is provided with four alined fastener inserting tools 10 each carrying in conventional manner a spring-backed impaling spindle 12. For cooperating with the respective tools 10 four stationary clinching anvils 14 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) are secured in a block 16 bolted, together with a plate 18, to a horn 20. The latter is afiiXed to a main frame 22 of the machine. For guiding the tools 10 in their vertical reciprocable movements toward and from the anvils 14, a front portion of the frame 22 is provided with a fixed guideway 24 in which a plunger 26 carrying the tools 10 is slidable. Operation of the plunger is derived from a main drive shaft 28 (FIG. 1) and conventional driving connections. For supplying fasteners E one at a time and simultaneously to each of the spindles 12 in usual manner, a raceway unit 30 (FIGS. 1, 4 and 6) pivotally mounted on the frame is oscillated about a horizontal axis in timed relation to the tools 16 by means of a cam on the shaft 28. It will accordingly be understood that in each down stroke of the inserting tools they respectively install a conductive fastener E in the strip S.

For guiding the strip S between the tools 10 and the anvils 14, means next to be described is provided. A pair of spaced upwardly projecting portions 32, 32 (FIG. 2) of the plate 18 pivotally supports on horizontal pins 34 (FIG. 4) one end of a work table 36 (FIGS. 2-5), a right hand end 38 of which is depressible and bent downwardly for a purpose later noted. The work supporting portion of the table 36 is yieldingly supported in a normally horizontal position by compression springs 40, 40 (FIGS. 3 and 4) the lower ends of which abut the plate 18 and the upper ends of which receive depending retainer protrusions integral with the table. The upper and substantially horizontal rest position of the work support ing surface shown in FIG. 4 is adjustably determined in cooperation with the springs 40 by a stud 42 (FIGS. 2 and 4) depending from the table 36 and slidably extending through a slot in the plate 18, the lower end of this stud threadedly carrying a stop nut 44 engageable with the plate. Adjustably secured on the table 36 is a pair of front and back edge guides 46, 46 (FIGS. 25) formed in this instance with recessed shelf-like portions 48, respectively, adapted to accommodate the strip material S which, in this case, is shown as a laminate border having its upper layer overlying the portions 48. A presser plate 50 (FIGS. 2 and 3) having holes 52 alined with the tools and the anvils 14 is secured to the table 36 by bolts 54 extending through slots formed in the guides. In order to cause the strip S to be impaled by the upper ends of the anvils 14 just prior to eyelet insertion, the righthand end of the table 36 is depressed together with the insertion zone of the strip by a pair of strikers or rams 55, 55 (FIG. 1) secured to the plunger 26 and engageable with the presser plate 50. As indicated in FIG. 6 the lower limit of movement of the table 36 is determined by engagement of its portion 38 with the horn 20.

For feeding the strip S by traction over the table, a set of rubber driven rolls 56 (FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 8) is arranged to cooperate with a similar set of lower drive rolls 58. These sets are respectively mounted on shafts 60, 62 journaled in brackets 64, 64 afiixed to the plate 18. The upper or driven shaft 60 is yieldable upwardly against the resistance of adjustably compressed holddown springs 65 (only one shown in FIG. 4) to accommodate different thicknesses of work with suitable pressure. The shaft 62 is driven from a variable speed motor 66 (FIG. 1) secured on the horn and connected through a suittable reduction gear (not shown) to an electromagnetic clutch 68 (FIG. 8), the arrangement being such that the latter is effective to drive and hence feed the strip upon energization as Will hereinafter be explained. Some small change in fastener spacing is derived from merely changing speed of the motor 66, but added range in such spacing is usually needed or desirable. For further controlling variably the spacing of the fasteners to be installed, a fastener responsive gage generally designated 72 (FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 8) in the form of a set of metallic fastener contacting rolls 74 (preferably though. not necessarily corresponding in number to the number of fasteners simultaneously to be inserted in a cycle) is adjustably mounted in the path of the inserted fasteners and between the feeds rolls 56, 58 and the operating path of the tools 10, 14. Cooperative with the spacing control contactor rolls 74 in engaging the strip as it is fed is a set of presser rolls 76. A shaft 78 mounting the latter is journaled in blocks 80, 80 (FIG. 5) secured respectively to insulator blocks 82, 82 which, in turn, are selectively bolted to the table 36 by screws 84, 84. The latter respectively extend through slots formed in the table 36 to abut the guides 46 in positions along the work piece path according to the desired spacing of successively inserted fasteners, reference conveniently being had to a scale 86 (FIG. 7) for this purpose. Also adjacent to the blocks 82, 82 respectively are members 88 (FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 7) for pivotally supporting a cross bar 90 from which the set of contactor rolls 74 is yieldably suspended by means of spaced bearing blocks 92, 92. The reason for thus mounting the rolls 74 is to enable them to be raised, as indicated by dash-lines in FIG. 7, by tilting the cross bar clockwise to facilitate initial introduction of the strip S. For normally holding the bar and its rolls 74 in their down position, a knurled clamping bolt 94 (FIGS. 4-6) extends through a slot 96 (FIG. 5) of a slide block 98 and is threaded into a piece 100 secured to the front member 88. Thus loosening of the bolt 94 permits retraction of the block 98 when pivoting the bar 90 to allow manual threading of the strip into the machine.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 8,

4 the main shaft 28 is arranged to make a single revolution when a conventional one-revolution clutch 102 (FIG. 1) is energized through a rod 104 by energization of a sole noid 105 (FIG. 8) that is controlled by a switch 106. Accordingly, after a first group of eyelets is inserted by a cycle of operations of the tools 10, 14 the switch 106 is manually reopened. Then a clutch switch 108 (FIG. 8) is closed to energize the magnetic clutch 68 thus to drive the feed rolls 58. Consequently the strip S is advanced with its inserted eyelets E until they contact and complete an electrical connection between the rolls 74, 76 which now serve as a switch. This completed contact through the inserted eyelets closes a circuit through the rolls 74, 76 effective to energize a coil K2 and hence opens a normally closed switch KZA thereby at once disengaging the clutch 68 and stopping strip feed. The same eyelet contact is thereupon also effective automatically to initiate an inserting cycle of the machine. Thus, assuming closure of a manual switch 110 (FIG. 8) for automatic operating condition, a machine clutch coil K1 is energized to close a normally open contact KIA, thereby energizing a relay K3 and hence closing a contact K3A whereby the solenoid 105 is energized and operation of the machine cycle is effected. In the course of its eyelet inserting cycle, a cam 112 (FIG. 1) mounted on the shaft 28 opens a microswitch 114 (FIGS. 1 and '8) thereby again closing the switch K2A and reenergizing the magnetic clutch 68 to resume work feed. This eyelet spacing and cyclical insertion continue automatically until the switches 108, 110 are reopened. After adjusting the gage 72 as desired along the scale 86, operation with the new spacing can continue. It will be understood that in certain applications of this invention it is possible to economize on parts by requiring the feed wheels 56, 58 additionally to perform the fastener spacing function of the rolls 74, 76 and omitting the latter, or vice versa omitting the wheels 56, 58.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In a machine for making border strips for mattresses and the like, a cyclically powered tool for inserting tubular fasteners successively, an anvil arranged to cooperate with the tool to set a fastener in each cycle, means for supplying fasteners one at a time to the tool when retracted from the strip, a Work table for supporting the strip, means including an electromagnetic clutch for feeding the strip between the tool and anvil and over the table, a fastener-spacing gage adjustably mounted on the table and arranged to be contacted by successive inserted fasteners at selected distances from the operating locality of the tool, and a control circuit for alternately energizing the clutch and operating the tool, the gage serving as a contact switch in the control circuit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,477,101 7/49 Treciokas 218-17.2 X 2,668,289 2/54 Conrad et a1 1102 2,722,684 11/55 Schmied 1-102 2,781,816 2/57 Lawson 29-407 X GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner. 

